Tiger Owl

Chapter 225 Jiaozhou Strategy
On the same day that Gan Ning returned to Chaisang after inspecting Chu County, thousands of cargo ships carrying 300,000 shi of salt ore arrived in Chaisang. However, the ships only made a temporary stop. After the Chaisang officials inspected the goods, they continued south to the salt warehouses in Nanchang to unload the cargo.

Gan Ning stepped off the military ship and saw a large cargo ship moored on the dock. The cargo ship was tightly wrapped in tarpaulin, and there were thousands of other large cargo ships moored on the river.

"Strategist, what kind of supplies are these?"

Lu Su thought for a moment and said, "A batch of mineral salt is coming in the next two days. It should be mineral salt, and there are as many as 300,000 shi (a unit of dry measure) of it."

The salt will be inspected and registered in Chaisang before being transported to Nanchang for warehousing.

At this moment, Gan Ning suddenly remembered something and said to Lu Su, "After we return to the government office, there is something I want to discuss with everyone. Let's all come and hold a military and political meeting."

It was just past noon when Gan Ning returned to the government office to rest for a while before sending someone to invite the high-ranking officials.

Before long, all seven high-ranking officials arrived at the council hall.

Gan Ning slowly said to everyone, "During this time, I've been thinking about why Cao Cao attacked the Wuhuan. Besides annihilating the remnants of the Yuan clan, a major reason was to prevent trouble in the rear. The Wuhuan people are too ambitious and have already threatened the safety of Youzhou. Once Youzhou is occupied by the Wuhuan people, Hebei will be in danger. How could Cao Cao feel at ease marching south? Therefore, Cao Cao must destroy the Wuhuan. But we also have future troubles!"

Lu Su immediately understood, "Does the Marquis of Chu mean Jiaozhou?"

Gan Ning nodded. “Jiaozhou has always been loyal to the court. It is said that the governor of Jiaozhou, Zhang Jin, is seriously ill and does not have much time left. Once Zhang Jin dies, who will take over Jiaozhou? If nothing unexpected happens, it should be Shi Xie, the prefect of Jiaozhi. He controls the three prefectures of Jiaozhi and is currently the most powerful.”

Jiang Wan laughed and said, "Does the Marquis of Chu intend to take advantage of Zhang Jin's serious illness to seize Jiaozhou?"

Gan Ning pondered for a moment and said, "In the past, we hadn't even recovered the three counties of Jingnan, so of course we wouldn't consider Jiaozhou. But last year we recovered the three counties of Jingnan, so we have to start considering Jiaozhou. Not only does Jiaozhou pose a direct threat to the three counties of Jingnan and Changsha County, but it also has abundant resources. It is said that the rice in Jiaozhi County can be harvested twice a year, with a yield of over a thousand catties per mu, while our winter wheat only yields a little over three hundred catties per mu! There are also oilseeds, timber, and cotton. More importantly, Jiaozhou is located by the sea. If we take Jiaozhou, our salt supply problem will be completely solved."

Lu Su laughed and said, "That's why when you saw the salt ships today, my lord thought of the salt from Jiaozhou."

"Exactly!"

Everyone burst into laughter, and Gan Ning couldn't help but laugh as well. He quickly suppressed his laughter, waved his hand, and said, "Everyone, please listen to what I have to say!"

After everyone quieted down, Gan Ning said, "Once Cao Cao's main force marches south, Jiangxia County will inevitably fall. We are all prepared for that. What I am worried about is Jiangdong. If Jiangdong is bought off or threatened by Cao Cao and our sea salt supply is cut off, how much salt will our millions of people need in a year? How many years can our reserves last?"

Therefore, to prepare for the future, we must open up a second salt source. Once we take Jiaozhou, we will be on the coast, which will completely solve the salt problem. Secondly, there's the rice from Jiaozhi County. If we can introduce rice varieties and enable us to harvest rice twice a year, we can feed a large population, and the unification of the south will be just around the corner.

Gan Ning's words resonated with everyone. Indeed, a lack of foresight leads to immediate troubles, and it was difficult to guarantee that Jiangdong would not be threatened by Cao Cao and have their sea salt purchases cut off.

At this moment, Bu Zhi slowly said, "Reporting to Lord Chu, I went to Changsha County before and talked a lot with the County Magistrate Xu Jing about Jiaozhou. At present, there are actually several powerful forces in Jiaozhou, one of which is Zhang Jin's forces. He controls Cangwu County, Nanhai County and Hepu County, occupying most of Jiaozhou and has 30,000 people. Zhang Jin himself is stationed in Guangxin County of Cangwu County, which is very close to our Guiyang County."

The second largest force was Shi Xie, the governor of Jiaozhi Commandery, who controlled Jiaozhi Commandery, Jiuzhen Commandery, and Rinan Commandery, and had an army of 20,000. The third largest force was Wu Ju, the governor of Yulin Commandery, who was originally Liu Biao's man, but is now said to have surrendered to Cao Cao. He was the weakest of the three forces, with an army of 8,000.

Interestingly, these three forces are nominally loyal to the imperial court, but in reality, they are loyal to Cao Cao. However, they have been openly and covertly fighting each other for the past few years, each wanting to devour the other. If Zhang Jin dies, then Shi Xie and Wu Ju will have their chance. Of course, they are more likely to fight each other first. "Why?" Gan Ning asked.

“Because Yulin County blocks the northward route of Jiaozhi County, Shi Xie will have to pass through Yulin County first if he wants to seize Zhang Jin’s territory. Wu Ju will certainly not give him this opportunity. I believe that they will definitely fight each other first. If we can take advantage of this opportunity to take over Zhang Jin’s Cangwu County and capture his 30,000 troops, then we will have a foothold in Jiaozhou and can continue to attack Wu Ju and destroy Shi Xie.”

Lu Su readily agreed, saying, "Lord Chu, Zhang Jin's serious illness is indeed an opportunity for us. We can use both civil and military means. First, we can send Xu Jing to visit Zhang Jin and ask him to prioritize the overall situation and hand over the three counties under his control to us. If Zhang Jin does not agree, then we can directly attack Cangwu County."

Gan Ning pondered for a moment and asked, "Is the Ling Canal still navigable?"

The Lingqu Canal was a famous canal built by the Qin Dynasty, connecting the Xiang River and the Li River. Its most important function was military, as ships could transport grain and supplies to Jiaozhou. The Qin Dynasty built it to conquer Lingnan.

"Reporting to Chuhe, the Lingqu Canal is still functioning normally!"

Gan Ning nodded slightly and said to Bu Zhi, "I'll leave the attack on Jiaozhou to Commander Bu. Before Cao Cao's army launches a major southward offensive, we'll take Jiaozhou completely."

Bu Zhi was the famous general of Eastern Wu who captured Jiaozhou in history, and Gan Ning believed that he could also take Jiaozhou for him.

Bu Zhi bowed respectfully, "This humble servant is willing to take Jiaozhou for my lord!"

After everyone left, Bu Zhi hurriedly returned to his office. He needed to write a report. In fact, he had already had some ideas, and now he just needed to put them down.

Only Lu Su remained in Gan Ning's official residence.

Lu Su pondered for a moment and said, "Isn't the Marquis of Chu's plan to attack Jiaozhou a little too hasty?"

Gan Ning shook his head. "Actually, I had this idea when I took Changsha County. At that time, I wanted to take Guiyang County in one fell swoop and then continue to conquer Cangwu County in the south. However, I was worried that Liu Biao would counterattack Changsha County, so I temporarily gave up this idea. Now that Zhang Jin is about to die, the opportunity has finally come. How can we not seize it?"

Lu Su nodded. "This is indeed an opportunity, but why does the Marquis of Chu want Bu Zhi to be the commander-in-chief? Wouldn't Xu Shu or Pang Tong be better?"

Gan Ning laughed. “When Bu Zhi mentioned his conversation with Xu Jing, I understood his intentions. He wanted to make contributions, partly to improve his status, and partly to prove his loyalty to me. Since Bu Zhi is willing, I will give him a chance.”

Lu Su sighed, "Now that the Marquis of Chu has made his decision, we must begin preparations. How about choosing a strategically important logistical location, Shian County?"

Shian County is today's Guilin. It is located in the southernmost part of Lingling Prefecture, backed by the Li River, and is indeed a very good strategic location.

Gan Ning nodded with delight, "Shian County is not bad!"

(End of this chapter)